Game 1 Box Score
Game 2 Box Score

HAMMOND – Southeastern Louisiana freshman Kelsey Nichols was 6-for-8 and junior teammate Katie Duhe extended her hitting streak to 13 games, but Texas A&M-Corpus Christi countered with 29 hits to earn a Southland Conference softball doubleheader sweep of the Lady Lions Saturday afternoon at North Oak Park.

The two teams combined for 50 hits on the day, as Southeastern (11-36, 3-24 Southland) finished with 21. Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (34-20, 15-14 Southland) kept its Southland Conference Tournament hopes alive with the sweep.

In the opener, the Islanders rallied for a 4-3 eight-inning win. Nichols was 2-for-4 for the Lady Lions and scored all three on the team's runs in the loss.

Nichols was 4-for-4 and Duhe added a 3-for-3 performance in the nightcap for Southeastern. However, the Islanders collected a season-high 18 hits on the way to a 13-5 victory.

The Lady Lions will close its 2010 schedule on Sunday, hosting TAMUCC at 12 p.m. Prior to first pitch, Southeastern seniors Amber Freeman, Catherine Gunther, Chelsea Takacs and Jenna Yoder will be honored. Live stats for Sunday's season finale will be available at www.LionSports.net.

Game 1 – Texas A&M-Corpus Christi 4, Southeastern Louisiana 3 (8 Innings)
Singles by Hannah Schwarz, Caley Jeter and Brittany Tucker allowed the Islanders to load the bases in the top of the first inning against Gunther. However, the McLouth, Kan. native battled out of the jam by forcing Kacie Smith to fly out to right field.

The Lady Lions jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning. Nichols ripped a one-out home run over the left centerfield fence to put Southeastern on top. The homer was the fifth of the season for the Alvin, Texas native.

Southeastern padded its lead in the bottom of the fourth inning. Consecutive singles by Nichols, sophomore Meghan Gomez and sophomore Katelyn Thomason loaded the bases and chased Islander starter Addie Tallman from the game. Duhe greeted A&M-Corpus Christi reliever Elena Crabtree (16-11) with a single to plate Nichols. Crabtree minimized the damage by retiring the next three Lady Lions and keeping the Southeastern lead to 2-0.

After getting into a jam in the first, Gunther cruised not allowing another hit until A&M-Corpus Christi mounted a two-out rally in the top of the fifth inning. Cassie Redman singled, stole second and scored on a Schwarz double. Jeter followed with a single up the middle to plate Schwarz and knot the score at 2.

The Lady Lions reclaimed the lead in the bottom of the fifth. Nichols reached on a two-out error by Crabtree and scored when Gomez doubled off the right field wall.

Southeastern held on to the lead heading into the top of the seventh inning. Lauren Sanders doubled with one out and scored on an RBI single by Redman. A bunt single by Schwarz forced Gunther from the game. Lady Lion freshman Kati Morse (2-14) kept the score tied, striking out Jeter and Margo Hurdt.

Crabtree sent Southeastern down in order to send the game into extra inning. Tucker singled to lead off the eighth for the Islanders and later scored on a two-out double by Meagan McKinney. A two-out walk by junior Tamra Ladnier was all the Lady Lions could manage in their half of the eighth, as Crabtree struck out to Takacs to end the game.

Game Two – Texas A&M-Corpus Christi 13, Southeastern Louisiana 5 (6 Innings)
The Islanders jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the top of the first with an unearned run against Morse. With two outs, Jeter walked and Hurdt followed with a single to right field. Sophomore Jordan Logan booted the ball and Jeter was able to score all the way from first on the error. An RBI single by Redman in the second pushed the lead to 2-0.

The Islanders chased Morse from the game in the top of the third inning. A double by Hurdt scored a run and Tucker hit her team-high ninth home run of the season to push the lead to 5-0.

The Lady Lions stranded runners in each of the first two innings, but finally broke through versus Hurdt in the bottom of the third. A double by Nichols and a Gomez walk put a pair on with one out. After the two runners advanced a base on a wild pitch, Thomason lifted a deep fly ball to left field. Redman dropped the fly, allowing Nichols to score.

Duhe followed with a run-scoring single, allowing the Lutcher native to extend her hit streak to 13 games – one off the school record held by former Lady Lion and current Southeastern assistant coach Karin Smith Gadberry. Ladnier singled home another run to cut the lead to 5-3.

A&M-Corpus Christi blew the game open in the top of the fourth. A two run single by Lauren Dodson and a two-run double by Lauren Sanders highlighted a six-run Islander frame that extended the lead to 11-3.

Southeastern extended the game with two runs in the bottom of the fifth. Duhe doubled home Gomez and then scored on a Ladnier single to cut the lead to 11-5.

Aggressive base running allowed A&M-Corpus Christi to get the runs back in the sixth inning. With the bases loaded and no outs. Landry Moore lifted a deep fly ball to right field. Sandy Schumann walked in and McKinney raced home all the way from second, as the Lady Lions were lackadaisical in getting the ball back in.

Southeastern attempted to avoid the mercy rule in the bottom of the sixth inning. Consecutive two-out singles by Logan and Nichols, followed by a Gomez walk loaded the bases. Crabtree retired Thomason to keep the Lady Lions off the board and end the game.